Corrective jaw oral surgery is a common procedure used to address problems or irregularities with the jaw or teeth. Performed by an oral surgeon, it can be an effective way to improve both your health and your appearance. Not all dentists perform the procedure, so if you have any of the symptoms below, we encourage you to schedule an exam and consultation with our dental office.
Corrective jaw surgery is often performed when these signs are present:
- Difficulty chewing
- Facial imbalance
- Injury to the face or jaw
- An open or severely misaligned jaw
- Soreness or pain in the jaw, face, or neck
- Unnatural wear on the teeth
- Birth defects
- Sleep apnea
- Chronic mouth breathing
If you have any of these issues, you may need oral surgery to correct them. Whether or not you do will depend on how uncomfortable they make you and what we find during your examination. We use modern solutions and advanced dental technology to promote minimally invasive procedures, so if you qualify for any of them, we will let you know. Our goal is to provide you with the solution you need, in the least invasive manner possible.
Working With Your Dentist
As an oral surgeon, many of our patients come to us from other local dentists or orthodontists. While they do a wonderful job keeping teeth healthy or straightening them, they are typically not an expert in surgery where we are. Visiting our office for a surgical procedure does not mean that you will no longer see your favorite dentist. They will continue to spearhead your overall treatment, while we will focus on this narrow aspect of it. The same is true when working with local orthodontist offices. They continue to straighten teeth using braces or aligners, but patients come to us at some point during the total treatment to have surgery complete. We take the team approach because that is what will give you the best possible results.
Recovering From Oral Surgery
Jaw surgery is a surgery just like any other. There will be a set recovery period where you will need to be careful. What you eat, how you eat, and even how you move your jaw will be impacted for several days. Give yourself time to heal by taking a few days off work or planning your surgery around a holiday or preset vacation. You will want to take it easy physically, eat soft foods, and not yell or aggressively move your jaw. We will keep an eye on you during your recovery period by having you come in for checkups. Slowly, you will be able to eat everything again, and then you can benefit from improved health and appearance. If you are working with an orthodontist, once the jaw surgery is complete, they are likely to want to put the braces back on so they can continue forward with your treatment plan.
To find out if you are a candidate for oral surgery or to learn more about the process, call and schedule a consultation.
